Grassroots gains the best way to fight against AFL incursions

Roy Masters

"Sheedy’s acolytes say he is being ‘cunning’. Rugby league has a different word for it." Photo: Mal Fairclough

THE smartest comment I have heard anyone in AFL land make these past few years, was an observation from Collingwood president Eddie McGuire when his code poached Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau from rugby league.

McGuire, who spent a couple of challenging years in Sydney running Channel Nine and confronting the city's mentality, warned of NRL retaliation, saying something to the effect: ''If you poke a stick in the eyes of these rugby league blokes, they will come back at you.''

Since that time, an independent commission has been formed to run rugby league, new headquarters established, significant investment made in Sydney's west, and McGuire's network has admitted high NRL ratings mean it must pay substantially more to retain broadcasting rights.

Rugby league chiefs refuse to acknowledge any of these developments are a response to the AFL's establishment of clubs on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney, lest it credit the invaders.

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The ARL's Geoff Carr says retaliation puts the AFL in a can't lose position. When he protested at Queensland's selection of Folau in their State of Origin team, despite Folau having already signed with Greater Western Sydney, the AFL boasted Carr's comments earned them millions of dollars in publicity.

If Carr says nothing, he is perceived as weak and not protecting the future of representative football. If he protests, he is providing cheap advertising for the enemy.

The AFL is very good at manufacturing image. It has erected AFL goal posts in western Sydney before it has established teams in a ''build it and they will come'' strategy.

Carr contends rugby league's investment in an academy and development officers in Sydney's west is more coincidence than catalyst to the AFL incursion.

''A lot of it is natural progression,'' he says. He argues that the ARL was forced to fill the space vacated by western Sydney's four NRL clubs - Panthers, Eels, West Tigers and Bulldogs - when grants from their licensed clubs were cut at a time they needed to focus resources on their NRL teams.

Other licensed clubs in the west supporting rugby league, such as St Marys and Cabramatta, have also had profits cut by the smoking bans and poker machine tax hikes.

Throw in a three-decade-long spiral during which government schools have abrogated responsibility for sport, and it means a yearly increase in the number of development officers to fill the void.

Significant progress was made midweek with the trialling of an age/weight division at the 67th All Schools Carnival at Tregear.

Schools within the districts of Western Suburbs, Manly and North Sydney competed in a 14 years under 65 kilogram division.

Essentially, this meant the big 14-year-olds of Polynesian heritage played in the 65kg-plus division, while schools that had never played rugby league before, such as Turramurra High, competed in the lighter division.

It was the first attempt to counter the complaint of many parents that their children are simply too small to tackle the sons of the South Seas. AFL has exploited this, encouraging smaller kids to play their code.

Rugby league numbers must grow exponentially for all schools to have two divisions in all age groups but the Tregear experiment was a start.

Meanwhile, the AFL is performing a stunning impersonation of an ostrich. It has done nothing in response to a virtual admission by sacked Melbourne coach Dean Bailey that he deliberately lost end of season games to win high draft choices in the year before the expansion clubs had a mortgage on the new talent. Nor has the AFL acted against the Giants for flouting its rules in signing a player mid-season.

Giants coach Kevin Sheedy said he knew nothing of the signing of the key Adelaide defender Phil Davis.

Sheedy's acolytes say he is being ''cunning''. Rugby league has a different word for it.

McGuire described it for what it is: ''cheating''.

NRL chief executive David Gallop made a comment at the same time as McGuire's ''stick in the eye'' remark.

Gallop said: ''When the AFL signed Hunt and Folau, I predicted the generous draft and salary cap concessions given the two new clubs would cause havoc with Melbourne clubs.''

''They will have more trouble of their own at home than cause us trouble in our homeland,'' Carr concedes. ''They may have sharpened the stick.''

8 comments so far

BELIEVE IN THE PRODUCT!! I feel like I've been banging on for ages about this. We have the best product and if we can get some of the 'fingers out of the pie' (Independent Commission??) and come together to ALL work in the same direction, we will dominate the sporting landscape in this country. DON'T BELIEVE THE AFL HYPE!!. If you were to put the two codes side by side and based your opinion on the spectacle in front of you, Rugby League would win everytime. I think it's time we put some faith in what we've got here. IMO the AFL should be very nervous about this independent commission stuff. I think they too know if we ever get our admin and marketing right, then look out! It starts with getting some of the fingers out of the pie!

Commenter

Pikelet

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

August 08, 2011, 11:09AM

While the AFL concentrate on "Greataer Western Sydney" (just where is that? It's not a term used in western Sydney) Rome is burning. Two lowly placed Adelaide teams ripe for merger, Suns being flogged mercilessly. The GWS experiment will last less than ten years. The two Sydney teams will eventually merge as will the two Queensland teams, and the two Adelaide teams.

Commenter

Blueydean

Location

Sydney City

Date and time

August 08, 2011, 12:08PM

First Phil Gould's article, now this. I love hearing the brainless NRL folks crying wolf, being so scared of the "big bad AFL." honestly, I don't know why people still bother with the NRL. The AFL will take over, plain and simple. It's a superior sport. It's more entertaining. It's more spectacular. League is so formulaic - 5 tackles then kick, repeat, repeat, etc. It's poorly run. It can't grow. The AFL is all powerful, and controls all states bar NSW and QLD, who are clearly unenlightened. Stop delaying the inevitable - merge with rugby union, and move aside to allow a complete Australian Football takeover. Australia will be much better for it. We invented the sport. It's something all Australians can be proud of. And it leaves League behind as a sport. Time to face the facts Mr Masters, and realise that Australia exists beyond Sydney, and there's no point holding out and resisting the football invasion

Commenter

Satan's Little Helper

Location

6 Feet Under

Date and time

August 08, 2011, 12:13PM

Roy

Turramurra High played League in the late '70's through to about the earl 90's

I should know, I captained the Open team in 1984

Commenter

MarkP

Date and time

August 08, 2011, 12:55PM

hey Satan's Little Helper,,,, no mention of the "game played in heaven"?? which is of course as everybody knows,, Rugby Union.AFL is a girls game played by blokes who are too old to play netball which is 14 years old. hence the reason why the rules are the same, pass the ball forward and no pushing in the back.. As for the NRL, if you want to get kids involved again, make the rules the same for all players. Tackle with the arms not the shoulder, pass the ball backwards, let the tackler stand up and mark the tackled player, put the ball into the middle of the scrum and have the hookers hook. That's how the game was played when i played for Kenso United in the under 7's and I'm sure that a lot of other supporters played the same rules.And, while i'm at it, kick out the salary cap cheats..

Commenter

Sutho

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

August 09, 2011, 3:56PM

Well said Roy.. I also agree with @Pikelet. @Satans little helper from 6 feet under should get the dirt out of his eyes and ears. Enjoy your game bud, while your doing that just know that despite all of the game play and nonsense trumpet blowing from your preferred code Rugby League dominates AFL where it counts. Rugby League is physically watched by more people than sponsors can possibly throw money at it for the TV rights.. Its a solid gold fact. Rugby League at it essense has heart, with organisation (already happening) it will have the direction and organisation as well. May as well chuck some sand in that eye as well as that sharp stick.. I believe the AFL peaked 2 years ago, its own figures show a slide in popularity.. League already dominates and has far more places to develop, as a fan I can't wait..

Commenter

CJW72

Location

Milton QLD

Date and time

August 09, 2011, 11:07PM

RE: "Satan's Little Helper" - you are living proof one doesn't need a long neck to be a goose. NRL enjoys vastly superior TV ratings; it has a distinguished representative history, both domestic and international. The State of Origin concept has made rugby league an international phenomenon for all sports lovers.I have lived in NY, London, Singapore, Athens, Barcelona, LA and currently working thru Europe and without exception anyone who glances at AFL likens it to adults in poor fitting shorts chasing a ball like 8 yr olds.As an Australian nothing more humiliating than the feeble attempt to create international fixtures with Ireland playing some form of hybrid crap just to appease the criticisms that GAYFL cannot spread beyond Australia.Granted the code does ok down under but that's as far as it will go, "ok". It will never be of interest to anyone outside Australia therefore in a growing global arena limited & hamstrung. Considerable efforts across the global to establish RL will yield some form of success because of the pure marketing value the sport offers. Don't get me started on 'potential' if the sports hungry Americans realise how close and infinitely more brutal RL is than their own localised brand.Meantime, I suggest you hasten the lobotomy you so richly deserve.

Commenter

swiss

Location

Dubai

Date and time

August 10, 2011, 2:24AM

Suthoyou sound like someone who plays netball - you clearly have quite a bit of knowledge there. As heaven doesn't exist, nor does god, your rugby union comment is a waste of space. Finally, people right around Australia must enjoy watching old girls then, and tv networks feel it's a huge investment. Care to explain why the AFL signed a $1.25 billion tv rights agreement? Why the AFL is in the top five of most heavily attended domestic sports comps in the world, with an average of 37,000 fans per contest? Insult the game all you like, but it only shows your fear and lack of education. If it's a soft sport, explain that to the bloke on the weekend who broke both bones in his lower leg, and the other guy who was knocked out cold. Our game is played by athletes, not overweight thugs who can't run sideways. And they make more money - tell me, why have two origin reps come to our game?